Et Cetera ...

March 8, 2014

People desperate for solutions will turn to all options, including some purely driven by the emotions they face. This may be true of the push for medicinal use of marijuana, although advocates will make a case that marijuana use can be helpful to some people and - perhaps most importantly - they have every right to use it, since their lives belong to them.

We're skeptical of the supposed medical benefits of marijuana. Minnesota lawmakers are considering a bill that would legalize the use of pot as medicine. Perhaps they should just simplify things and legalize it.

Is full-time job needed?

Martin County has hired a full-time emergency manager. We're not sure why.

Like county commissioners, we give deference to our sheriff and others in emergency planning. But like those commissioners who disagree with the concept of a full-time emergency manager, we wonder how the position will benefit the county or taxpayers, compared to how things operate now. Is there enough danger in the county to warrant this job? Anything that has happened previously, from tornadoes to flooding in a city such as Truman, has been handled without a full-time position. What's changed, really?

They protect and serve

Our local police force and county deputies do a lot of work that they and the public would probably consider routine. From handling barking dog complaints, to serving warrants, to ticketing speeders. But sometimes, they literally put their lives on the line to protect public safety. For this we express our gratitude.

This past week, law enforcement was involved in an incident in which a driver reportedly rammed a squad car after a high-speed chase in Fairmont. That's scary stuff, but something well-trained and professional officers can handle. And they did. Again, we thank them.

Protect the constitution

Minnesota lawmakers are considering a bill that would make it more difficult to put constitutional amendments on the ballot. Instead of simple majority votes in the House and Senate, the bill would require 60 percent of lawmakers in both houses to approve amendments, before they would go to voters.

We like this idea. A constitution should not be easily changed. If it can be, then government is no more than majority rule, which is to say mob rule. A?constitution protects the rights of minorities, i.e. individuals, from the tyranny of the mob.